The Vampire's Requiem [malexmale]

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Two (Xed)

Something was wrong.

And I wasn't the only one who thought so. Starling was restless and continued to bend silverware and even took to chewing on it every so often. He kept looking around nervously and making odd whining sounds.

I waited for either Newell or Hunter to return, but there was no sounds in the house. That was what had first made me uneasy. Shouldn't there be at least the sounds of Newell and Vini talking? I was beginning to grow restless myself, but instead of standing around and doing nothing, I took Starling and we went up the stairs. Starling carried a couple of his bent forks with him for some reason, but I let him anyway, seeing no harm in it.

We came up the stairs, then stopped to see that the room was completely empty. Nothing was overturned or empty, nobody was even there. I frowned instantly and walked further into the room. Starling stuck close behind me and even grabbed onto the back of my shirt as he followed. I approached the bed and looked around, eyes narrowed as I tried to pick up on something, anything.

The room was just spotless and smelled like cleaning products.

That was suspicious.

I heard Starling whimper and turned to see him down on his hands and knees on the floor, peering under the bed. I frowned and approached him, about to look down and see what he was whining about when I heard the front door slam shut. I looked up, alarmed. I quickly grabbed Starling by the arm, making him yelp. We made our way to the stairs, coming down just as Drake was approaching them.

"What were you doing up there?" He demanded suspiciously. I frowned. Why would he ask me that if I couldn't answer? I shook my head only, however. Starling made a sad face at Drake and held up a twisted fork.

"Pretty!" He exclaimed. Drake grimaced, taking the fork and looking at it, distressed, before he looked at the others in Starling's hands.

"Those were my favorite dinner forks," He muttered, then frowned at me, "Can't you watch him more closely? Don't let him play with my things. And stay out of my room. Vini's upset enough as it is without you people pestering him." I just stepped aside to let him pass and head upstairs. I looked at Starling, who looked at me in confusion.

"Pretty?" He asked. He wanted to know where Newell was as well. It was making me uneasy. Newell couldn't simply vanish like this, and he hadn't even gone past me on the way out of the cabin, so what could have happened? But if there was one person I needed to talk to about tracking, it was Hunter.

Unfortunately.

I took Starling by his free hand and led him after me as we left the cabin. The air outside was cold and bitter, but at least the sun was shining now. Bright and hot in the sky, the only warmth on a cold day. I scanned the camp for Hunter and kept walking, careful not to stay put so that the wolves knew I was busy. Starling just hurried after me, sniffling at the cold before he sneezed and came closer to me. He whimpered as he tugged on my hand. I slowed down so he could catch up and he hugged me tightly around the arm.

I hesitated at that. Normally, people were terrified of me. I was tall and intimidating with sharp teeth and devoured flesh. And yet, there was a small child clinging to me right now for comfort. I could tell Starling was upset and wanted Newell back.

Newell was like a friend and a mentor to him.

And Newell was everything to me.

"Looks like you got yourself a barnacle." Hunter's voice said. I looked up to see Hunter approaching me, adjusting his jacket. I frowned, then looked past him toward a she-wolf's house. I recognized her from before, but I couldn't remember her name. However, she was smiling seductively after Hunter, her hair a mess and make up smeared. I narrowed my eyes at Hunter, who ignored my glare to brush the hair back out of his face.